Littaafin Ƙasa

Description

Date created: unknown. The entire manuscript is available for download below as a single PDF file. Because of the large size of this manuscript, it is also available in three PDF files. In addition, each page is available as a separate, larger, JPG file. If higher-resolution JP2 files are needed (WARNING: files average 45-55MB in size), please contact open-help@bu.edu. Fieldwork Team: Mustapha Kurfi (PI, Hausa Ajami Scholar), Abdurra’uf Hashim (Research Assistant) and Bara’u Musa (Research Assistant). Technical Team: Vika Zafrin (Institutional Repository Librarian, BU Libraries and Digital Initiatives and Open Access, BU Libraries), Dr. Fallou Ngom (Director, African Language Program), Dr. Peter Quella (Assistant Director, African Studies Center), and Zachary Gersten (Coordinator, African Language Program). This collection of Hausa Ajami materials is copied as part of the African Studies Center’s African Ajami Library. This project is funded by the BU African Studies Center. We thank Prof. Tim Longman, Director of the African Studies Center, and the entire African Studies Team for their support. Access Condition and Copyright: The materials are subject to copyright. Access is for research and educational purposes only. Materials are not to be reproduced without written permission. Citation: Kurfi, Mustapha and Ngom, Fallou. 2015. African Ajami Library: Digital Preservation of Hausa Ajami Manuscripts of Nigeria. Boston: Boston University Library: http://hdl.handle.net/2144/11728 For Inquires: Please, contact Professor Fallou Ngom (fngom@bu.edu).

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https://hdl.handle.net/2144/11728

Abstract

The material, entitled Littaafin Ƙasa (The Book of Geomancy), was found in a Hausa Ajami handbook on geomancy by Husaini Bukar Salihu, also known by his moniker Husaibakar. The material features instruction on using elements, such as the days of the week, celestial positions, and mystical numbers, as components in formulae for soothsaying, prophesizing, and guiding supernatural powers that “force” or “influence destiny. The material also provides instruction on using incantations and wirds (specialized litanies) to uncover secrets, including treatments of unfathomable medical mysteries or ailments. The material was originally written in Arabic and was later translated into Hausa Ajami for “easy comprehensive understanding.” The date of publication is not indicated, nor is the publishers. The author’s heir, Malam Abubakar Mada, inherited the materials and offered them for digitization. The collection contains 122 pages in total.

Rights

The materials are subject to copyright. Access is for research and educational purposes only. Materials are not to be reproduced without written permission.